Recently, thieves came to the parking lot at Northlake Mall wanting a very specific car part: the catalytic converter. And they had almost no trouble getting it.

Jen Burkhart told Patch that she and her 10-year-old son came outside after shopping mid-afternoon to find a security guard standing next to her Toyota 4Runner. "I thought, hmm, did I park in a handicap spot? He asked if the car was mine and I said yes," Burkhart said. "He told me someone stole my catalytic converter!"

Mall security officers said they heard the sound of a saw coming from the direction of the Toyota and spotted a man underneath it. "The guy took off into the woods near Sports Authority and an accomplice was waiting," she said. Six DeKalb police cars and a helicopter were summoned to look for the criminals, but there is no word yet of any arrests.

"This is so shocking to me," Burkhart added. "I guess this is what they do; they sell the part for the platinum, especially in 4Runners and older cars and SUVs that are easily accessible to crawl under. It takes these people 30 seconds to steal these converters."